Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document
Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Association between residential greenness and exposure to volatile organic compounds.

Authors: Yeager, Ray; Riggs, Daniel W; DeJarnett, Natasha; Srivastava, Shweta; Lorkiewicz, Pawel; Xie, Zhengzhi; Krivokhizhina, Tatiana; Keith, Rachel J; Srivastava, Sanjay; Browning, Matthew H E M; Zafar, Nagma; Krishnasamy, Sathya; DeFilippis, Andrew; Turner, Jay; Rai, Shesh N; Bhatnagar, Aruni

Published In Sci Total Environ, (2020 Mar 10)

Abstract: Residential proximity to vegetation and plants is associated with many health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental stress. Although the mechanisms by which proximity to greenness affects health remain unclear, plants have been shown to remove particulate air pollution. However, the association between residential-area vegetation and exposure to volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) has not been investigated. We recruited a cohort of 213 non-smoking individuals and estimated peak, cumulative, and contemporaneous greenery using satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) near their residence. We found that the urinary metabolites of exposure to VOCs - acrolein, acrylamide, acrylonitrile, benzene, 1-bromopropane, propylene oxide were inversely associated (7-31% lower) with 0.1 higher peak NDVI values within 100 m radius of the participants' home. These associations were significant at radii ranging from 25 to 300 m. Strongest associations were observed within a 200 m radius, where VOC metabolites were 22% lower per 0.1 unit higher NDVI. Of the 18 measured urinary metabolites, 7 were positively associated with variation of greenness within a 200 m radius of homes. The percent of tree canopy and street trees around participants' residence were less strongly associated with metabolite levels. The associations between urinary VOC metabolites and residential NDVI values were stronger in winter than in summer, and in participants who were more educated, White, and those who lived close to areas of high traffic. These findings suggest high levels of residential greenness are associated with lower VOC exposure, particularly in winter.

PubMed ID: 31865083 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Air Pollution; Cardiovascular Diseases*; Cohort Studies; Humans; Plants; Volatile Organic Compounds/toxicity*

Back
to Top